RealSimple.com: How To Speed-Clean Your Kitchen

Kitchen Cleaning To-Do List

When cleaning the kitchen always start with the sink. "Keep it empty and shining," says Marla Cilley, author of "Sink Reflections" (Bantam, $15, amazon.com) and creator of FlyLady.net, a housekeeping website.

A sparkling sink becomes your kitchen's benchmark for hygiene and tidiness, inspiring you to load the dishwasher immediately and keep counters, refrigerator doors, and the stove top spick-and-span, too.

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When cleaning the kitchen always start with the sink. "Keep it empty and shining," says Marla Cilley, author of "Sink Reflections" (Bantam, $15, amazon.com) and creator of FlyLady.net, a housekeeping website.

A sparkling sink becomes your kitchen's benchmark for hygiene and tidiness, inspiring you to load the dishwasher immediately and keep counters, refrigerator doors, and the stove top spick-and-span, too.